Hezekiah Gaon
Encyclopedia
Hezekiah Gaon was the last Gaon
of the Talmudic academy
in Pumbedita
from 1038-40.
Hezekiah was a member of the exilarch
al family, son of David,who was son the of Zakkai,who was the son of Avraham, who was the son of Nathan, son of David a Rabbi
, whose father was Hazub
. He was elected to the office of principal after the murder of Hai Gaon
, but was denounced to a fanatical government of the Buyyids, imprisoned, and tortured to death. With him ended his family, with the exception of two sons who escaped to the Iberian Peninsula
, where they found a home with Joseph ben Samuel, the son of Samuel ha-Nagid. The death of Hezekiah also ended the line of the Geonim, which began four centuries before (see Hanan of Iskiya
), and with it the Academy of Pumbedita. The Spanish poet Hiyya al-Daudi
(d. 1154) was descended of one of the Hezekiah's sons, named David.
Gaon (Hebrew)
Gaon originally referred in Ancient Hebrew to arrogance and haughty pride . Later became known as pride in general: whether good or bad . Today it may refer to:...
of the Talmudic academy
Talmudic Academies in Babylonia
The Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, also known as the Geonic Academies, were the center for Jewish scholarship and the development of Jewish law in Mesopotamia from roughly 589 CE to 1038 CE...
in Pumbedita
Pumbedita
Pumbedita was the name of a city in ancient Babylonia close to the modern-day city of Fallujah....
from 1038-40.
Hezekiah was a member of the exilarch
Exilarch
Exilarch refers to the leaders of the Diaspora Jewish community in Babylon following the deportation of King Jeconiah and his court into Babylonian exile after the first fall of Jerusalem in 597 BCE and augmented after the further deportations following the destruction...
al family, son of David,who was son the of Zakkai,who was the son of Avraham, who was the son of Nathan, son of David a Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, whose father was Hazub
Hazub
Rab Hazub was the last prince of the Davidic Dynasty mentioned in the Seder Olam Zutta. He was the son of Rab Phinehas. He was overthrown by Fatimid caliph Al-Muizz Lideenillah, who captured Jerusalem in 969....
. He was elected to the office of principal after the murder of Hai Gaon
Hai Gaon
Hai ben Sherira , was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038...
, but was denounced to a fanatical government of the Buyyids, imprisoned, and tortured to death. With him ended his family, with the exception of two sons who escaped to the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, where they found a home with Joseph ben Samuel, the son of Samuel ha-Nagid. The death of Hezekiah also ended the line of the Geonim, which began four centuries before (see Hanan of Iskiya
Hanan of Iskiya
Hanan of Iskiya Hanan of Iskiya (Asikia)Hanan of Iskiya (Asikia)(Hebrew: (רב חנן מאישקיא (מאישקא or Alternative English spelling: Hanan of Iskia, or Hanan of Iskya, or Hanan of Ishqiya) was rector of the Talmudical academy at Pumbedita, 589-608....
), and with it the Academy of Pumbedita. The Spanish poet Hiyya al-Daudi
Hiyya al-Daudi
Hiyya al-Daudi was a Jewish prominent rabbi, composer and poet of Andalusia....
(d. 1154) was descended of one of the Hezekiah's sons, named David.